Mercy Ministry keeps us very busy at Hope for the Island. It is one of the ministries that God has used to bring many to saving faith in Jesus Christ. It can look different each day as we encounter those who need a touch from God.
We have a Danish intern couple, Simon and Stephanie at Hope for the Island. They arrived in February and will minister alongside our Hope team for a six month period. They have a heart for the Lord and their passion for kids shone through immediately. This has definitely been an answer to prayer about the need for more full time staff who are willing to carry the load in existing ministries and expand our Mercy Ministry.
Under the internship program they will serve for six months and then be replaced by other Danish interns to fill their place and carry on the work they invested in.
The Prenatal Program is part of Mercy Ministry and blesses three hundred and fifty two pregnant moms. We partner with the rural health unit to provide a weekly check-up, counsel and prenatal vitamins for these women. Poverty is rampant and we encounter numerous little ones every day who are severely malnourished. We are so excited about a new component of this ministry outreach.
We always make sure kids are given a nutritious feeding as part of Kid’s Ministry. In addition, we have identified some of the most severely malnourished children and infants in identified areas. They are part of a six month daily feeding program to help restore their health. We will monitor them and visit weekly. Pray with us that these little bodies will be restored before it is too late for some.
Rice and milk are combined with our dried soup mix that contains twelve different dried vegetables. It is from a donor in Canada and is literally a live saver to many. It is tasty for them and will help to get these little bodies healthier.
Here are the profiles of some little ones we have the joy of helping!
This family has four children and they live just outside San Isidro in the jungle. They are very poor and the way they make money to provide for food is by collecting and sorting garbage and selling firewood.
The family moved here from Surigao City to try and make a better living. The youngest boy Jeffrey is two years old, severely malnourished and is the one most in need of help.
Despite the tragic circumstances, the boys seem very happy and we look forward to spending more time with the family. We were excited to bring new flip flops for the boys on one of our visits to the family.
Glydel is two years old and lives in our neighboring village of Burgos with her mom and two siblings.
Laluh lives in St. Nino and is a little girl who is four years old. She is unable to walk or talk and is very malnourished. Her legs are crossed and it has been determined there is no remedy for this.
Santa Monica
The first family in this area lives close to the ocean. It is a long walk down many stairs to get to their home. The family has 10 children. One of them is Anna-Marie a three year old who is malnourished.
The second family has a three year old girl named Rhona. She is in desperate need. Apart from being malnourished, Rhona suffers from worms in her stomach and she is going blind in her left eye. She is unable to talk. Rhona and her brother were abandoned by their parents and are now cared for by their aunt and uncle who have four children of their own.
